Chapter 29

Lee and Amanda drove to the school to pick up the boys while talking about their day full of meetings. Amanda mentioned to Lee, "That was an amazing rate the Credit Union gave us. I can't believe how much lower it is than my current mortgage."

"I told you we could get great rates as employees. They even got our monthly payments down lower than we did with our figures, and we aren't going to have to put any more down for a deposit."

"I'm nervous about our offer. I want this house so bad. I'm afraid they will tell us to go fly a kite. Did we have to go so low on our offer?" Amanda fidgeted.

"I trust John, Amanda. He said we should be okay starting at that amount. Just give it a chance."

"I will, but it still doesn't make me feel any better." Lee reached over, took her hand, and gave it a confident squeeze as Amanda continued, "So Lee, you never told me how your meeting with Leatherneck went."

"Sorry about that. We've been so busy, I didn't realize I haven't mentioned it yet. It went great. He was able to pull up the house on his computer and found a rough blueprint of the house. I told him about the changes we wanted to make, and he even came up with a few good suggestions himself. He requested a paper copy of the blueprint. This way, he can run some more numbers to come up with a plan and get it drawn up, so it will save time if we get the house. He'll have to submit it for approval before we can start any work, but he said he has a few friends that owe him a favor, and he doesn't think it will take very long to get approved."

"That's good. How did he handle the news we were getting married?"

"He was shocked at first when I told him I was getting married. Then it seemed like the shock went away after he found out it was you I was marrying. He's happy for us."

"And he's going to keep our relationship quiet?"

"Yes. He knows we want to keep it to ourselves for a little while longer. We don't have to worry about him." Lee pulled into the school parking lot and found a spot quickly. He placed the car into park and shut off the engine. Before he exited the car, he turned to Amanda and informed her, "I'll stand by the side of the car to try and get their attention." Amanda nodded while Lee strode around the front of the vehicle and leaned against the side next to Amanda's window.

Amanda lowered her window so she could talk to Lee while they waited. "Lee, the boys should be coming out that door on the side. The main entrance isn't open yet. They were told to use the side door." Lee nodded and turned his attention to the door Amanda pointed out.

A few minutes later, he saw them exit the building. He gave a soft whistle to get their attention. The boys scanned the parking lot as soon as they heard the whistle. Both their faces lit up with excitement when they saw Lee waving at them. They ran towards the car as Jamie questioned once they arrived. "Hey, Pops, why are you picking us up?"

"Your mom and I have some news for everyone, and we didn't want to wait for you guys to get home, so we thought we'd speed up the process by picking you up."

"Cool! What's the news?" Philip exclaimed.

"Not until we get home. This is news for the entire family. Now get in the car, so we don't waste any more time."

The boys did as they were told as Lee quickly made his way around the car as well. Once everyone was in, they were on their way home. The boys were bouncing around in the back, excited to find out what news they had for them. Philip couldn't wait any longer. "Come on, guys, can't you give us a little hint? We're dying back here."

Amanda smiled over at Lee and responded to Philip's question, "No, we will not give you a hint. You'll find out as soon as we get home." The boys moaned with disappointment but knew they weren't going to get anything else out of either one of them.

In the boys' minds, the short ten-minute ride home lasted about two hours. As soon as Lee put the Wagoneer into park, the boys were out of the vehicle and running into the house. Lee and Amanda slowly followed them. They could hear the boys yelling in the house. "Grandma! Where are you? Mom and Pops have news to tell us, and they won't tell us unless we're all together." They both smirked as they reached the door. Lee let Amanda in first, as he exclaimed as she walked through the door. "This is going to be good!"

They strolled into the living room to find both of the boys helping their grandmother into the chair. Lee and Amanda sat on the couch as Dotty greeted them. "Hello, darlings. Did I hear the boys call Lee Pops?" Lee sheepishly nodded, causing an accepting smile from Dotty as she continued, "Lee, where's your car? I didn't see it outside before the boys attacked me."

"I left it in the garage at work. I'll take Amanda's home tonight, and then I'll pick her up in the morning. We wanted to get the boys together."

"That makes sense. So, what's this big news you have for us?"

Lee and Amanda studied the room to see three sets of eyes anxiously waiting for their news. Amanda nodded to Lee for him to start. "Well, your mom and I wanted to let you know, last night we discussed our finances, and we have agreed on what we can and can't afford in a house. And because of that decision, we've had a very busy day today. We went to three very important meetings. All of them had some aspect of finding and buying a new home. Now, I know all of you really like the house in Country Club Hills, but your mom was worried about it being too expensive." The excited expressions on the boys' faces soon turned to disappointment. "However, we wanted to let you know we put an offer in on that very same house today!"

The boys' heads shot up, and the smiles were back on their faces. Philip was first to respond. "Pops, are you serious? That's going to be our new home!"

"Now, Philip, nothing is final yet. We just put our offer in, and we don't even know if our offer will be accepted. We just wanted to let you know what we did." Amanda watched the interaction between Lee and her sons. She couldn't believe how quickly the three of them had bonded. She gazed over at Dotty, who held the same look in her eyes. Their eyes locked, and the two of them shared a smile, aware of the fact they both were the two luckiest women in the world.

Amanda, filled with concern, questioned, "Mother, you've been pretty quiet. How do you feel about what Lee just told you?"

"Amanda, darling, I didn't mean to be quiet. I was just thinking. Three months ago, the four of us were happy, healthy, and had no idea we would be where we are right now. We were just living our lives one day at a time. Then you went to Paris. You came back with a wonderful man in your life who has brought more joy into these boy's lives, as well as mine, than we could have ever dreamed of. It's just amazing how one person can change everything. Amanda, I've never seen you happier. You've truly met your soul mate. Philip and Jamie have a father figure in their lives that truly loves them as much as he loves their mother. And that, my dear, is just about everything a mother and grandmother could ask for." Dotty turned her attention to Lee. "Lee, you are a wonderful, caring man. We've all been truly blessed to have you come into our lives. Thank you for loving my family and for filling the hole this family didn't even know we had."

Everyone turned their attention to Lee. He sat with tears in his eyes, as it took him a few moments to respond. "What is it with you West women?"

"What do you mean, sweetheart?"

"You both have the same effect on me. You both leave me trying to catch my breath."

To be continued with "Fate Had Something To Do With It"